I volunteered to organize the second NSF Grantees Workshop for several reasons, all related to the Columbia River Gorge: (a) I promised my wife Pam to limit my travel in 1997, and the Gorge is only an hour from our home; (b) my passion is windsurfing, and there is a launch site 10 min from Skamania Lodge; (c) I wanted my colleagues to experience the Gorge; and (d) Skamania Lodge is a great place to have a meeting.

The primary goal of the workshop is to foster communication and collaboration among researchers interested in Interactive Systems. I will consider the workshop a success if people leave with a better appreciation of the work being done by others, if you are able to continue and deepen the dialogues initiated here, and if you establish collaborations based on interactions at the meeting.

This is your workshop, so please participate in setting the agenda. I would be pleased to learn that you are willing to organize a panel to discuss a hot topic or a perceived problem, or to hear your ideas for good events or speakers. If you are willing to serve on a virtual planning committee to brainstorm via email, send me a note.

See you soon,

Ron

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Ronald A. Cole, Director of the Center for Spoken Language Center
Department of Computer Science, Oregon Graduate Institute
(503)690-1159; FAX: (503)690-1306; Email: cole@cse.ogi.edu
URL: http://speech.bme.ogi.edu/people/cole
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